A NEW AGE DAWNS

How did the Age of Aquarius enter popular culture? It surely is associated with the counter-culture war protests of the 1960s and 1970s, and with the New Age movement.

Astrologers say The Age of Aquarius is an astrological age, which shifts roughly every 2,150 years. It’s defined by the sun’s position at the time of the March, or vernal, equinox. The Age of Aquarius begins when the March equinox point moves out of the constellation Pisces and into the constellation Aquarius.

The arrival of the Aquarius age has been associated with harmony and understanding, sympathy and trust. And that brings us to the 1967 smash-hit musical HAIR, with its opening song Aquarius.The song opened with the lines:

When the moon is in the Seventh House

And Jupiter aligns with Mars

Then peace will guide the planets

And love will steer the stars

This is the dawning of the Age of Aquarius

It’s hard to describe how HAIR affected people when it opened in the mid sixties. It subsequently ran for 1,750 performances on Broadway and then 1,997 performances with simultaneous productions in cities across the United States and Europe, and accompanying recordings (the original Broadway cast recording sold three million copies back then).

Almost single-handily in the late 1960s and early 1970s, this Broadway musical brought the Aquarius Age concept into popular culture.

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Characters Nick and Krista are surrounded by the happenings of this era-- the 1960's anti war protests and counter culture revolution are part of what they would see often.

© copyright Kaye Manro 2016


Kaye Manro